Any newcomer to the world of clean energy might become quickly lost in the maze of various renewable sources, technologies, incentive programs, efficiency opportunities, and other complexities in what is a very large – and often fragmented – part of the energy landscape. Below are some invaluable resources that offer helicopter-view insights into clean energy… Keep reading →
One of the best and worst things about conferences is the giveaways. It’s the worst when you’re stuck with another one of those ugly canvas tote bags covered with weird company logos. And it’s the best when you get something so bizarre, so gloriously useless, that you have no choice but to keep it forever,… Keep reading →
Not green enough, which is worrisome given how fast its energy use is growing At first blush, the Internet appears as green as it gets. Buying and reading an e-book on line obviates the need to drive to the bookstore, or having it shipped, and avoids chopping down trees to make paper to print it… Keep reading →
Bypassing Congress, president outlines ambitious climate agenda Perhaps, like the rest of us, President Obama does most of his reading – and thinking – when he is away from the office on travel. Speaking in Berlin in June following the G8 summit – which may be characterized as a futile annual shindig in search of a… Keep reading →
Discussions of energy and climate change often focus on the need to reduce or modify energy end-use to cut down on emissions, which have the potential to accelerate average global temperature increases and lead to changing weather patterns. But researchers at IBM are focused on the inverse of that relationship – looking more closely at… Keep reading →
Mexico is heading towards much-needed energy sector reform, and with two of the country’s three major political parties in broad alignment on energy goals, major changes to the sector look more likely than ever, according to attorneys in the energy practice of law firm Mayer Brown. Mexico is major oil producer, and one of the… Keep reading →
The fatal Quebec oil train disaster looks likely to touch off yet another debate affecting the future of the Keystone XL pipeline – whether pipelines or rail are a safer way to transport oil. “People think rail is costless until something like this happens.” [Bloomberg] France’s Total and its Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie were… Keep reading →
The U.S. has lost three percent of its summertime nuclear generating capacity as troublesome plants are retired. Robert Stone’s controversial film Pandora’s Promise has brought the question of how nuclear power might fit into a clean-energy future to center stage. We’re not going to hold (let alone resolve) that debate here and now. Instead, we’ll just note that… Keep reading →
As emissions reductions and climate change mitigation have moved the the forefront of the US political debate, both the Department of Energy and the International Energy Agency have shone a light on the potential and the importance of working with traditional fossil fuels, rather than pushing to phase them out. The International Energy Agency’s 2013… Keep reading →
Really awful news…a Rail World Inc train carrying crude oil through Quebec derailed this weekend, causing multiple explosions in the middle of the town of Lac Megantic, resulting in multiple fatalities and destroying dozens of buildings. Oil spilled into Lac Megantic itself, and into a nearby river. “The derailment is the latest in a string of railroad… Keep reading →
